In Acts 17:24-28 Paul says: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’"
"Paul was educated in classical Greek literature to some extent, and what he says here recalls earlier arguments by Plato (in his dialogues the Euthyphro and the Symposium). In the dialogues, Plato represents Socrates as analyzing the nature of service to a god, and points out that the god can only receive actual benefit from service if he is in need or lacking something. This is also a good point for the Christian to bear in mind; believers are to serve God, but this is not a service that in any way actually benefits Him, because He is perfect and in no need of anything which man can supply."
Plato is one of the Greek "poets" Paul mentions. We can see this from an
excerpt of Plato's dialogue Phaedrus, which states:
"in the earthly copies of them. They are seen through a glass darkly"
Which Paul quotes,
"For now we see through a glass, darkly" in 1Cor13:12
Other excerpts from Platonic Dialogues are similar as well:
"Now that which is created must, as we affirm, of necessity be created by a cause. But the father and maker of all this universe is past finding out: and even if we found him, to tell of him to all men would be impossible" Timaeus [28]
"The God through whom all creatures always have life" Cratylus [396]
"and are not unfruitful, but have in them a seed which others brought up in different soils render immortal, making the possessors of it happy to the utmost extent of human happiness" Phaedrus [277]
"the soul of man is immortal, and at one time has an end, which is termed dying, and at another time is born again" Meno [81]
"And the friend of the gods may be supposed to receive all things at their best, excepting only such evil as is the necessary consequence of former sins? Certainly. Then this must be our notion of a just man, that even in poverty or sickness, or any other seeming misfortune, all things will in the end work together for good to him in life and death: for the gods have a care of any one whose desire is to become just and to be like God" Republic X [613]
"he whom love touches not walks in darkness." Symposium
"Then we ought not retaliate or render evil for evil to any one, whatever evil we may have suffered from him." Crito [49]
"We too must endure and persevere in the enquiry, and then courage will not laugh at our faintheartedness in searching for courage; which after all may, very likely, be endurance." Laches [194]
If any of these ring a bell then feel free to check out the attached PDF, which is a 5 page tract highlighting the concordia(harmony) of the New Testament and the Platonic dialogues.
"Paul was educated in classical Greek literature to some extent, and what he says here recalls earlier arguments by Plato (in his dialogues the Euthyphro and the Symposium). In the dialogues, Plato represents Socrates as analyzing the nature of service to a god, and points out that the god can only receive actual benefit from service if he is in need or lacking something. This is also a good point for the Christian to bear in mind; believers are to serve God, but this is not a service that in any way actually benefits Him, because He is perfect and in no need of anything which man can supply."
Plato is one of the Greek "poets" Paul mentions. We can see this from an
excerpt of Plato's dialogue Phaedrus, which states:
"in the earthly copies of them. They are seen through a glass darkly"
Which Paul quotes,
"For now we see through a glass, darkly" in 1Cor13:12
Other excerpts from Platonic Dialogues are similar as well:
"Now that which is created must, as we affirm, of necessity be created by a cause. But the father and maker of all this universe is past finding out: and even if we found him, to tell of him to all men would be impossible" Timaeus [28]
"The God through whom all creatures always have life" Cratylus [396]
"and are not unfruitful, but have in them a seed which others brought up in different soils render immortal, making the possessors of it happy to the utmost extent of human happiness" Phaedrus [277]
"the soul of man is immortal, and at one time has an end, which is termed dying, and at another time is born again" Meno [81]
"And the friend of the gods may be supposed to receive all things at their best, excepting only such evil as is the necessary consequence of former sins? Certainly. Then this must be our notion of a just man, that even in poverty or sickness, or any other seeming misfortune, all things will in the end work together for good to him in life and death: for the gods have a care of any one whose desire is to become just and to be like God" Republic X [613]
"he whom love touches not walks in darkness." Symposium
"Then we ought not retaliate or render evil for evil to any one, whatever evil we may have suffered from him." Crito [49]
"We too must endure and persevere in the enquiry, and then courage will not laugh at our faintheartedness in searching for courage; which after all may, very likely, be endurance." Laches [194]
If any of these ring a bell then feel free to check out the attached PDF, which is a 5 page tract highlighting the concordia(harmony) of the New Testament and the Platonic dialogues.
